FAIRFAX, Virginia – The George Mason Softball Team lost to Army and Cornell in its home openers of the 2014 season. Both games were part of the Patriot Classic held at the George Mason Softball Complex.
Game 1:
The Patriots opened the Patriot Classic against Army with Mason's Anna Blessing going against Army's Braetana Roy. Blessing pitched six innings allowing five hits and two earned runs. Five different Patriots had a hit in the game: Brooke Blankenship, Casey Price, Angela Maioran, Cori Prince, and Mary O'Connor.
Army scored in the first with an RBI from Kasey McCravey, in the fourth on an RBI from Alex Gaff, in the sixth with an RBI from McCravey, and in the seventh on an error. The 4-0 lead by the Black Knights, was too much for the Patriots to overcome.
Roy pitched the complete game for the Black Knights, picking up her first win of the season improving her record to 1-2.
Army improves to 2-8 on the season with the win, while Mason drops to 0-3 with the loss.
Game 2:
The Patriots dropped a tough one to Cornell 4-2 with five hits and one error, in the season opener for the Big Red. Christina Gabriele got the start for Mason pitching four innings before Sarah Kleinfelter entered the game in the fifth inning in relief, pitching the final three innings.
Blankenship had an excellent game going two for two with two RBIs. Tiffany Webb also had a strong game going two for four with a run.
Cornell's Sammy Roth got the start pitching a complete game giving up five hits with two earned runs. The Big Red were lead on offence by Christina Villalon who went two for three with a run scored. Four different players for Cornell had an RBI, as the Big Red scored in the first, third and fourth innings while never trailing.
Cornell improved its record to 1-0, earning a win in its first game, with the Patriots falling to 0-4.
Up Next: The Patriots will continue the Patriot Classic at the George Mason Softball Complex on Sunday March 2 at 12:15 p.m. against Army. Please note that all games on Sunday will begin an hour earlier, with the first game between Army and Cornell starting at 10:00 a.m.
